The Date Continues
by Ezia523
Summary: I think I'll call this one, 'fanfiction on top of fanfiction...'
1. The Invitation

I recently came across fanfiction, and thought it to be insanely cool! What better way to express your creative side and let your imagination take it's toll on some of your most favorite stories! When I read the Rockett's World series, 'So It's A Date' fanfiction by ebidebi, I got so wrapped up in this totally talented author's engaging storyline and unique plot. I edited some of the story and added the possibility of what might have happened next. I am responsible for the editing of the chapters, as well as chapters 3-5. Chapters 1-2, as well as the story's underlying theme belong to ebidebi, who created this marvelous masterpiece. I hope you guys enjoy:) And again - this is ebidebi's plot - not mine!

So, It's A Date?

ebidebi & Ezia523

Chapter 1: The Invitation

"Hey, Rockett!" Upon hearing her name, Rockett Movado paused in her steps, and glanced over her shoulder.

"Why'd you stop?" Jessie Marbella inquired, still a few steps ahead of her.

"I heard my-" Rockett began.

Suddenly, Ruben Rosales dashed around the corner. "There you are!" he panted. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"You have?" Rockett asked shyly, and maybe with a little bit too much excitement.

"I need to ask you something!" said Ruben.

"Sure," Rockett replied eagerly. "Ask away!"

"Um, well, you see . . ." he hedged, shyly looking away from Rockett.

"Yes . . ." she coaxed. Now she was definitely curious. Jessie smiled knowingly, lighty poking Rockett in the ribs.

"I was wondering...if..." Ruben continued.

The bell rang. Dilemma! Rocket shoved her left hand into her red hair and cringed. "Oh, Ruben, I'm _sooo_ sorry, but I can't be late to math again! I'll get another detention! But, leave me a message or something! Bye, Ruben!" she called, as she ran off to class.

"Bye, Rockett," Ruben muttered, turning around.

Rockett pouted as she slid into the math room. "Sorry," she whispered under her breath.

Jessie followed her into the classroom. "What's wrong, Rockett?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing. I guess I'll talk to Ruben later," Rockett said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Hey Jessie, Rockett. What's going on?" Miko Kajiyama asked, sitting down behind the two of them.

"Hey Miko!" the girls replied at the exact same time.

Immediately, Miko whipped her head to Rockett, her smile wide. "So, Rockett, saw you talking to Ruben out there! Are you two an item or what?" she inquired, reaching out to poke her friend's shoulder.

Rockett's eyes bulged. "We are NOT!" she protested, blushing bright red.

She had attracted more attention.

"Someone's defensive!" Cleve Goodstaff interjected.

"Uhh . . ." Rockett groaned. Where had Cleve come from? Had he overheard, too?

Soon, several kids had gathered around her, as her blush got deeper by the second. Just what she needed, more onlookers. Since when was she this popular? Rockett was suddenly even more thankful than usual that Nicole Whittaker wasn't in her math class.

"Come on, Rockett. Tell me," Miko pleaded.

"He didn't even get to say what he wanted to," Rockett supplied. "Look, he just probably wanted to ask me something about school."

"Whatever, Rockett," said Miko, obviously not convinced.

"Yeah. He looked awfully intense for school stuff," Cleve added.

"Were you watching, too, Cleve?" Jessie asked. "You should mind your own business."

"Class, may we come to order?" the math teacher demanded. She was usually a laid-back woman, but today was different. She seemed quite tense. This could only mean one thing...

"Now, as you know, the National Math Competition is coming up soon, and last year, Miko Kajiyama and Arnold Zeitbaum led us to second place," she said. A few people clapped for this. "This year, I want us to go beyond our minds to the Mathematical Nirvana that I know we all can achieve. That's why I'm expanding our team to three or even four people! So, do I have any volunteers?" the teacher asked.

Miko's hand shot up. "I'll be there to defend _and_ surpass my title!" she shouted eagerly.

"Great!" the teacher replied.

"Count me in! Get it? Count?" Arnold cried, letting out a snorting laugh.

"Excellent!" said the teacher. "Any others?" Her question was followed by a long silence.

"...Anyone?"

The teacher hung her head. "...Slackers," she muttered under her breath.

As soon as class got out, Rockett checked her GMG, delighted to find a very important message...from Ruben! Thinking no one was around, she clicked on the voice message.

_"Hey Rockett, it's Ruben. And how's my favorite new girl? Well, I guess you're not so new anymore... so, I have to ask you something. If I don't see you, call me tonight. Umm, see you later, new girl." _

"Listen to that," sneered Dana St. Clair. "How romantic."

How Dana had appeared out of nowhere was a mystery. Still, Rockett had to hand it to her. Snooping around certainly was Dana's forté.

"Mind your own business!" Rockett blurted. "And besides, it's nothing."

"How do you know?" asked Dana. "He said he wanted to _ASK_ you something." She practically made a broadway play out of drawling the word "ask." "I think you know what that means."

"What?" asked Rockett, now both annoyed and curious. "Well, hey Dana, I want to ask _you_ something: Why do you care?"

Dana let out an exasperated groan. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

"Chill, you guys!" Nakili Abuto said suddenly, sliding up next to Dana. "I can hear your arguing from all the way down the hall! And I'm having a really good day, and I don't want you two bringing me down!"

"Sorry," Rockett muttered.

"Yeah, sorry, Nakili," said Dana.

"Why are you apologizing to me? You should be saying sorry to each other!" Nakili demanded.

"...I guess. Sorry I blew up at you, Dana. It's just kind of a touchy subject," said Rockett.

"Yeah. I'll keep out of your love life," Dana resolved.

"Whoa, girl!" cried Nakili. "Love life?" She had completely switched gears. In less than ten seconds, Nakili had gone from peacemaker to extreme gossip girl.

"There _is_ no love life!" Rockett retorted. "Ruben just left me a message, saying he needed to ask me something, that's all!" Rockett sighed shortly. She was really getting tired of relaying this story.

"Ooh, girl! You are scoring some major points with _that _boy!" Nakili exclaimed.

"There aren't any points! We're just friends!" Rockett protested, her face suddenly matching the hue of her hair.

"Whatever, Rockett...I'll believe it when I see it," Nakili replied.

"I see what you mean by 'touchy subject'! Someone mentions Ruben, and our little Rockett is ready to blast off," Dana joked.

"I'm sorry. I haven't been having the best of days," said Rockett. "I gotta go eat lunch. See you guys in art class!" With that, Rockett dashed off to the cafeteria, hoping that it would temporarily slip Nakili and Dana's minds that they all had lunch together. She was so preoccupied, that she didn't even notice someone approaching her in the hallway.

"Rockett!" Ruben said, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Yaaaa!" Rockett cried, dropping her home-packed lunch.

"Oh, man! Sorry, my bad," Ruben apologized, bending over to help her pick it up.

"That's okay, you just surprised me," Rockett replied. "Thanks for helping me clean up."

"Hey, it was my fault anyway. Should have noticed that you were off in space there, Rockett." He paused. "No pun intended, honest!" For a moment, there was an awkward silence between them, as Ruben slowly gathered his thoughts. "...So, uh, Rockett, want to walk to lunch with me?" he asked shyly. "I mean, since we're both headed for the same place."

"Sure," answered Rockett. She fell into step with him as they walked.

"Well, Rockett, I wanted to ask you," Ruben began, as they veered closer to the lunch room. "You know my band, Rebel Angels?" he asked.

"Of course," Rockett replied.

"My brother Carlo wants us to play at his party. It's his birthday, and he said...he said I could bring a date. Everyone does," he explained.

Rockett perked up. "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah. Pretty strange, huh? ...Well, I wondered, since you seem to like the band and all, and since you're a friend of mine...would you be my date?" he finally asked. "I mean, just as friends."

"I...I'd love to, Ruben. When is it?" Rockett asked.

Ruben answered, "Saturday, eight o'clock, my house. I can tell you where that is...or I could come and get you. And don't worry, my mom and stepdad will be there, chaperoning, so it should be cool with your folks."

"I'm sure it will be," she said. Rockett tried to hold everything in - she was about to burst with excitement! Maybe Dana was right about her and Ruben after all!

"That's great!" said Ruben excitedly. "So, will you sit with me at lunch so we can work out the details?"

"Sure," said Rockett, taking a seat at a nearby lunch table. "I'll just sit down here while you get your lunch."

"Cool," he replied. "I'll be back in a flash."

Just as Ruben walked off, Rockett's best friend, Meg Durrand appeared in the window.

"Hey, best friend! What's all the excitement about?"

"Meggie, you will NEVER believe what just happened to me! Remember Ruben Rosales, the guy who calls me 'new girl'? Well, he asked me to come to his brother's party, a real party! I just wish that some of my other friends can come too, so I won't have to make conversation with Ruben the whole time - I'd be too nervous! I barely got the nerve to talk to him today, but I'm sure glad I did."

"Wow, Rock! That's totally awesome! Your first date!"

"I know! I can't believe it either, Meggie Muffin. I'll probably-"

"Hey Rockett, did I just see what I think I just saw?" Jessie asked, sitting down next to Rockett. "Ruben asking you on a date?"

Rockett turned and looked back at the window. Meg was gone.

"You saw, Jess!" Rockett exclaimed, now facing her friend. "But it's just a friendly thing, I'm sure."

Before Jessie could reply, Ruben came back to the table, smiling at Rockett. "_Hola_, Jessie," he said, when he noticed she had joined them. "Hey, you remember my brother Carlo, right?"

"Of course!" said Jessie. "He used to babysit me when I was little," she explained to Rockett. "Isn't his birthday coming up?" She unwrapped her peanut butter and jelly sandwich and took a bite.

"Yeah. He's having his party this weekend," Ruben said. "You can come too, Jess, I'm sure he won't try to embarrass you. The only thing is, you probably want to bring a date. Carlo's orders," he added, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah. So you're taking Rockett, huh?" Jessie smiled knowingly, looking in Rockett's direction.

"Ummm, right," said Ruben. "Just as friends. Hey, how'd you know?"

"Lucky guess. Maybe I've been hanging around Mavis a lot lately and I'm catching the 'sixth sense'," she replied. Rockett giggled.

"Soooo, did I hear something about a party?" Cleve interjected, sitting down next to Ruben. Max Diamond followed.

"Yes you did. Carlo's birthday bash slash Rebel Angels gig. He doesn't want too many junior high kids there, so I guess that's why he made up this date rule," Ruben mused. "Scare us away. If you ask me, it doubles the number, but whatever."

"Date rule?" Max asked.

"Yeah. You have to bring a date to the party." Ruben told him.

"That's cool. Hey, who's invited?" asked Cleve.

"Rockett and Jessie, and I guess you, too." Ruben answered in between bites.

"And I bet you invited Rockett to be the lucky little woman who you take, eh, Rosales?" Cleve smirked.

"We're just going as friends, Cleve," Rockett protested.

"Ahhh, so you _are_ going together!" Cleve exclaimed. "Say, Ruben, I do believe that this is your first date!"

Ruben kicked him under the table.

"And what about you, Ms. Movado, or should I say _'Mrs. Rosales'_!" Max added, waggling his eyebrows.

"You guys are terrible!" said Rockett.

"Yeah, lay off," said Ruben.

"Well," Jessie interjected. "I think the party will be cool even if you just go with friends, Ruben," Jessie said. Rockett smiled at her gratefully.

"Well, it starts at eight o'clock. This Saturday," Ruben reminded them.

"We know, we know," Cleve replied.

Now it was Max's turn to blush. "Well," he started. "Since we're all just going as friends, do you want to go with me, Jessie? Just as friends, of course, unlike the couple of the year over there."

"Really? You want to go with me?" Jessie replied, blushing profusely.

"Why not?" Max answered quietly. His air of nonchalance was not convincing.

"Sure, I guess!" Jessie answered excitedly. Rockett smiled at her. She felt really good that Jessie was going to be included.

"Well, I gotta go," Cleve announced. "So I'll see you kids later!"

"Yeah, I gotta split, too," Max added, stealing one last look at Jessie. Now it was just Jessie, Ruben and Rockett left at the table.

"So, Rockett . . ." Ruben began. Jessie got the hint.

"See you later, Rockett," she whispered, leaving with a wink.

Rockett and Ruben were now alone. Rockett decided that she should say something, at least to keep the whole conversation going. Things had certainly quieted down since the group left, and she definitely could not take awkward silences for very long.

"So, uhh, Ruben, I guess it would be kind of dumb for you to pick me up-" she started.

"But I can," Ruben interrupted.

Rockett blushed. "Well, I mean, you don't have to. Just call me or e-mail me tonight if you want to talk more. I gotta get to art class," she told him. She didn't want to leave, but she only had two minutes before Art, and it would be a bit of a jog to make it on time.

Ruben nodded. "Then I guess it's _adios_ for now, Rockett. I'll see ya later."

Once in the hall, Rockett felt the buzz of her GMG in her pocket again. She took it out, and clicked on the new voice message.

_"So, Rockett, you have a date with Ruben . . . Good move. Didn't I tell you the that the elf rune worked? How do I know this, you're wondering? Sixth Sense. I'll speak with you later. This is Mavis, if you didn't figure it out. Goodbye." _

Leave it to Mavis to find out about this whole Ruben thing, thought Rockett. Mavis could be weird sometimes, but she honestly did seem to want the two of them to get together.

Rockett looked up from her GMG, just in time to see Miko just outside the art room.

"Hey, Miko!" she called.

Miko's eyes darted around to locate Rockett's voice. When she finally saw her, Miko lit up. "Rockett! Jessie told me about your big date! You're so lucky! Ruben is really nice and cute," Miko exclaimed.

"Shh! Not so loud, Miko!" Rockett hushed.

"Oops, sorry," Miko apologized. But Dana's attention had already been attracted.

"Rockett Rosales, how cute," she quipped.

"You know, Dana, you aren't the first to say that, and it's no less aggravating now! We're just going as friends. It's his brother Carlo's birthday party, not some charity ball," Rockett informed her, ripping up a picture of her and Ruben in formal black and whites in her mind.

"Sure," Dana said sarcastically. "Please, Rockett. We all know how bad you're crushing on Ruben."

"She does have a point, Rockett," Miko agreed.

"Will you guys cut it out? Ruben's just my friend," Rockett said.

"Very interesting, Rockett," mused Dana. "Well, I'll talk to Ruben and get myself invited to that party. Then I can see up front just how good of friends you two really are."

"Just ignore her when she gets like this," Miko whispered to Rockett.

As the three girls walked into Mr. Rarebit's room, Rockett begin to panic.

On the one hand, she liked all the attention. Especially all the attention from Ruben…but she was also really nervous. Was this actually a real date?


	2. Panic Mode

Chapter 2: Panic Mode

"Meg! I am at a total loss here!" Rockett wailed, during her weekly long-distance chatterbox session with her far away best friend.

"Sounds like a date to me, Rock, and I know you're crazy about him. You're always talking about the guy, so go for it! Besides, he'd be crazy not to like you! Just make sure you look awesome. Like, do your hair up like a rock star!"

Rockett twisted her phone's purple cord around her right hand's index finger."Well, of course!" she replied. "I'm just a little nervous, is all. Hey, how's Bryson? That cute new guy you told me about?"

"Oh my gosh, Rock, didn't I tell you? He started dating Katy, can you believe it?" To the untrained ear, Meg's excited voice gave the impression that she was happy about this development. But Rockett knew her better than that. Even when delivering bad news, Meg's giddiness never ebbed.

"Katy? Are you serious?"

"I know! But she's totally changed so much, Rock, you wouldn't believe! She dyed her hair blonde, can you picture that?" Meg giggled.

"Meggie Muffin, are you serious?" Rockett could not picture Katy Hermon, the shy brunette who couldn't ride the bus because of her motion sickness, blonde and dating the cute jock Bryson that Meg had described to her.

"Completely."

The girls continued chatting and giggling right up until Mrs. Movado yelled up the stairs to her daughter some half an hour later.

"Rockett, have you done your homework?"

Rockett groaned. "Ugh…Meg, I gotta go. Homework calls."

"I understand. Me too. But go for it with Ruben! You better email me some pictures!" Meg insisted.

"You bet," Rockett replied, grinning. Talking to Meg made things seem much easier to handle. Maybe it was because chatting with her best friend made her forget that she had a potential date on the horizon, but whatever it was, Rockett felt at ease about the situation.

For now.

After promising to chat online later, the two best friends hung up, and Rockett prepared to work on her homework. But the longer she tried to work, the more that easy feeling that everything would be all right slowly slipped away...

Rockett pulled her books out of her backpack and spread them out on her desk while mentally weighing the facts once more.

_'Okay,' _she thought to herself. _'Ruben asked me to the party. That's definitely a positive. He had to at least like me a little bit to do that. Also, he's been trying to track me down all day, which is another positive. But on the other hand, Ruben had made a point to say that we were only going as friends. Soooo...maybe it's not a date? Being friends with Ruben is a good thing, but...I'm already friends with Ruben...' _

Suddenly, Rockett's mind jumped into the land of What Ifs.

'_Wait a second_,' she thought.

_'What if this isn't really a date, but I think it is, and I get all dressed up and end up making a total fool of myself? I'd totally lose the friendship and any potential for future developments.' _

Rockett then dreamt up another scenario, one much worse.

_'...But what if he thinks of it as a date and I don't? Ruben would probably call the whole thing off, and go find some other girl who understands relationships. Ugh...he's probabaly being totally obvious about whether or not this is a real date...I'm just too naïve to understand.' _

This stuff was supposed to come naturally, wasn't it? Rockett's older sister, Juno, had been on loads of dates by the time she was Rockett's age, which made Rockett feel a bit behind the game.

It was then that she realized that she had been staring at the same page for the past five minutes. Date or no date, she would never finish her assignments if she didn't start soon.

After about an hour and a half, she was done. There actually hadn't been much to do, just some math sheets, an outline for science class and a little studying for an English test. But with distractions buzzing around in her head, it had taken much longer than she'd thought.

Rockett turned on her computer and signed in to her instant messaging program. It was time to get some answers, one way or another.

Rockett sent an IM to Jessie. While waiting for her friend's reply, Rockett's mind begin to wander again.

She glanced at her own screen name, ArtsyNewGirl, which was somewhat of a joke, inspired by (Rockett loved this) Ruben.

Ohh, Ruben...what exactly did he think of the date? Was it? Or wasn't it? Rockett's mind started going crazy again. Luckily, the window on the IM screen begin to flash. Jessie had replied.

**CleopatraJM: Hey, Rockett! What's up? **

Rockett smiled at the message. Good. Chatting with Jessie would make her feel much better.

Rockett moved her cursor over the chat window to reply. But just as quickly, she noticed an email in her inbox...from Ruben.

Rockett gulped. Was he cancelling?

Rockett hovered her pointer over the message. She hesitated before opening it. The subject was neutral: **"Hey!" **It could be good news, or it could be...awful. Just as she was about to double click the email, Jessie's IM window started flashing.

**CleopatraJM: Did you get #34 on that math worksheet? I'm totally stumped. **

**ArtsyNewGirl: Yeah, but it took me forever! It's a trick question. They're not looking for the sum, they're looking for the quotient. **

**CleopatraJM: Oh! Duh, that seems so obvious now! I hate dodgy wording. Thanks, Rockett. I guess I'm all out of excuses now. I better go finish that up. Let me know if Ruben says anything! **

**ArtsyNewGirl: Alright, will do! Later, Jess. **

Jessie signed off and once again, Rockett was faced with whether or not to open the email. She would just have to do it. She moved her pointer once again over the subject line of the email, when another message popped up. From Arnold.

**l33t0rch1d: Greetings, fair Rockett! I hope the evening finds you well! **

Rockett giggled, hearing Arnold's nasaly voice as she read the message.

**ArtsyNewGirl: Hey, Arnold! What's going on? **

Rockett decided by the time Arnold replied, she would have already read the message from Ruben. Nervous as she was, she braced herself for impact and moused over the message a final time. She clicked. Twice.

_Rockett, _

_Hey, chica! How's life tonight? Just wanted to confirm what the plans are for Carlo's birthday bash. Saturday. I'm picking you up, okay? Around seven? Gotta be there early to rehearse, if that's cool with you. I'll be online sometime tonight, so hopefully I'll catch you. Otherwise, see you in school. _

_-Ruben _

Rockett let out a sigh of relief. Okay, good! Ruben wasn't cancelling. But she still didn't know whether or not it was a date, and it was already Wednesday night! How would she ever make it to Saturday?

For a moment, Rockett considered just flat out asking Ruben if it was a date if he came online, but then he might think of her as some sort of desperate weirdo.

_'Whoa, slow down!'_ Rockett told herself. She was jumping to conclusions left and right! By tomorrow, news of the maybe-date would be all over school anyway, and she would have to be prepared for it.

Eventually, the combination of excitement and anxiety took it's toll on Rockett, and she fell asleep, still completely aware of the fact that she had no idea what to do.


	3. The Big Night

Chapter 3: The Big Night/Party Time

Saturday night came much quicker than Rockett had anticipated. And now here she was, all ready for her so-called 'date'...well, almost ready. It took her a while, but Rockett finally decided on a pink top (Meg had said pink complimented her hair color) her favorite denim skirt, and a pair of Keds (Ruben had recently complimented her on them). She wore her hair long and flowing with a few sparkly clips for added flair. Rockett tried to calm herself, but it was no use - she was a nervous wreck! Would she be able to even answer the door, when the doorbell rang?

The doorbell rang.

As ironic as it was, Rockett decided to just take the entire night one step at a time. She quickly rushed to the bathroom to check her appearance one last time before she left.

Just as she peeped into the mirror, Meg appeared.

"Still nervous about tonight, Rock?" she asked.

"Hey, Meg. Yeah, I am. I mean, I'm really excited and all, but I just don't know what to do."

"Well, for one thing, you look totally awesome! And hey, don't worry. Ruben's your friend, isn't he?

"Yeah..." Rockett said slowly.

"So don't worry about it! You're going to have so much fun tonight. Trust me."

"Aww, thanks Meggie Muffin! You're the best! I'll tell you all about it when I get back."

"You better! I'll see ya later."

Thanks to Meg, Rockett was feeling tons better. She ran downstairs, took a deep breath, and answered the door.

Ruben was standing in the doorway, all dressed up for the evening. Rockett immediately took note of his wardobe, scanning it for clues as to whether or not this was a friend thing or an "outing." The fact that he was dressed up excited Rockett, but on the other hand he could have just been dressed up since his band would be performing at the party later on.

"Hi, Ruben," she said sheepishly.

For a moment, Ruben didn't reply. Instead, he looked at Rockett as though he were seeing her for the first time.

"Hey, Rockett. You look..." Ruben's throat closed up, but he tried again. "I mean, you look...you look really cool."

"Thanks, Ruben...you look really cool too." Rockett replied.

"Really? You think so?" Ruben asked shyly.

Rockett nodded.

"...Oh! Well, we should get going. C'mon. My stepdad's driving."

Rockett followed Ruben into the car. 'So far, so good!' she thought to herself.

When they arrived at Ruben's house, Ruben introduced Rockett to his bandmates.

"Wow, Ruben! Is this your date? You were right, she's really-"

"So Rockett!" Ruben interrupted. "I asked Max and Jessie to get here early too, so we can all hang out. They should be here soon."

"Okay, cool," said Rockett, now grinning from ear to ear.

"Rockett, hey!"

Rockett whirled around. Max and Jessie had just arrived.

"Oh, hey Jessie!" called Rockett, as she ran over to her friend. "I'm so glad you're here!"

"Me too!" exclaimed Jessie. "We're going to have such a great time!"

"Yeah!" said Rockett, and she meant it.

Ruben approached her. "Rockett, can I get you something to drink?"

Rockett hesitated. Didn't Juno say something about that once? About the guy offering you a drink on a first date? That did make it a date, didn't it?

"Uhm, sure Ruben. I'll just have some punch. Thank you."

Whatever this was, Rockett decided to quit drawing conclusions. She glanced over at Jessie and Max, who were sitting towards the front of the party room, watching the band rehearse. Ruben was the only one not rehearsing at the moment. But Jessie looked just fine. Her attitude about the night seemed anything but ancy. She seemed to be totally comfortable about the situation - although she probably didn't even know whether or not she was on a date herself. _'Forget it,' _thought Rockett. _'I'm making too big a deal out of this. I'm just going to have fun.' _

"Here Rockett, I got you some punch," Ruben said, handing Rockett her drink.

"Thanks, Ruben."

"Sure thing. Well, listen, we've only got about thirty more minutes before Carlo and the others show up, so we're just gonna finish up rehearsal. Is that cool with you?"

"Sure!" Rockett said, delighted. She always wanted to listen to the band up-close where she could really hear them.

"This is great, Jessie," said Rockett. "I'm having a good time, and the party hasn't even started yet."

"Totally!" Jessie agreed.

Soon, the doorbell rang and guests and friends of Carlo's came piling in. Although everyone looked much older, Rockett was hardly nervous. As long as Ruben and Jessie were by her side, everything felt completely fine.

Ruben's band was sounding better than ever, and every other song, he took a break so he could hang out with Rockett. Ruben introduced Rockett to Carlo's friends, and Rockett felt like she was fitting in better than ever.

"Hey Rockett, this is Olivia. She's my cousin, as well as an amazing drummer. She played for us back when we were DeBaser. Now she has her own band."

"Wow, really? That's so cool!" exclaimed Rockett.

"Thanks!" said Olivia. "I've been taking lessons since I was four."

"That's really great," Rockett commented. "So what's the name of your band?"

"_Olivia's Angels_," snorted Ruben. "She says she didn't mimic our band name - yeah right!"

"Oh, please Ruben. You're just jealous 'cause I taught you everything you know about music," Olivia countered.

"She's right, she's right," Ruben admitted. "Olivia kind of got us into music. Not that we didn't love it before," he replied with a wink.

Ruben noticed one of his bandmates nodding him over. "Oh, Rockett we're about to do our next song, so I'll catch up with you afterwards. You cool chillin' with Olivia?"

"Yeah, sure, I mean if that's okay with you?" Rockett asked, glancing towards Olivia.

"Yeah, that's totally fine," Olivia assured her.

"Alright, cool," said Ruben. "I'll see you babes from the stage."

"Okay, see ya Ruben!" said Rockett.

As soon as Ruben was gone, Olivia flashed Rockett a huge grin. "Oh, Rockett, you're gonna love this next song! Trust me," she said with a wink.

Rockett giggled. "Probably. I love hearing Ruben's band, and they're really good. You taught them well."

"Yeah, I did didn't I? Anyway, let's go get a better view towards the front!" said Olivia.

"Okay!" said Rockett.

"So, Olivia, who did you come here with?" Rockett asked her, once the girls got closer to the stage.

"Who did I come here with?" Olivia repeated dubiously. "Just some friends. How come?"

"Really?" asked Rockett. "You mean like, you didn't bring, like a date?"

Olivia shook her head. "No. Why would I bring a date, anyway? This is just my cousin's birthday party. And birthday parties are where you meet boys. And lots of 'em. So why the heck would I bring a date, and limit myself to just one boy?"

Rockett giggled. "Well, when you put it like that, I guess it doesn't really make sense. I just thought that Carlo wanted everyone to bring a date, like everyone had to or something."

Olivia laughed. "No way, lil' Rocky. Carlo can't even get a date himself, so why on earth would he do tha-ohh."

Rockett frowned. "What?"

Before Olivia could reply, a loud voice boomed from the microphone on stage.

"Alright, everybody! Tonight's my brother's birthday, so let's give it up for him!" Ruben announced into the mic.

In addition to Rebel Angels, Ruben's brother was also on stage. Carlo shot his fists up into the air as the crowd clapped and cheered.

"Alright, alright, alright," Carlo said, taking the mic. "Tonight _IS_ my birthday, like my lil' bro said, but tonight's also a pretty big night for him, too." Ruben's eyes widened. Lucky for Ruben, Carlo got the hint and toned it down."Anyway, this next song is dedicated to someone very special. Don't worry, you'll know who you are in a second..."

From the crowd, Rockett could see Ruben give his brother a sarcastic look; followed by a big smile from Olivia in her direction. What was going on here?


	4. A Song

Chapter 4: A Song

Rockett, although still confused about the looks she was getting from Olivia, decided to go find Jessie and Max. Sure enough, the two were at the front of the stage, listening to the music.

"Hey, Jess," said Rockett when Jessie came closer into view.

Jessie was smiling hugely. "Oh, hey Rockett!" she said absently as she whipped her head back to the stage.

"Hey, what's the matter?" inquired Rockett. "Everyone stopped dancing and-"

"Shhh!" Jessie interrupted, moving her finger to her lips and pointing to the stage.

"What?" Rockett yelled over the music.

"Listen," said Jessie.

Rockett raised her eyes to the stage, and met Ruben's gaze, much to her surprise.

The song he was singing, "New Girl," Rockett guessed, totally amazed her. She felt her face growing warm. Was Ruben singing this to her?

As Ruben continued to sing, Jessie and Max smiled over at a perplexed Rockett.

When the song finished and Ruben was done, he hopped off the stage to go find Rockett.

"Hey!" she said as Ruben came into view. "I really liked that last song you guys did. It was pretty awesome!"

"Yeah," Ruben agreed. "We needed something cool to finish off the night."

Rockett's eyes bulged. "You mean it's already almost over? What time is it?"

"Eleven o' six," Ruben answered, glancing at his watch.

"Oh no," cried Rockett, suddenly forgetting everything. "I told my parents I'd be home by ten-thirty! I didn't realize it was this late. I gotta get home," she said, making her way to the door.

"Rockett, wait!" Ruben called, as he followed after her.

"Rockett, wait, don't leave yet. Carlo hasn't even cut the cake, and besides that, you don't have to walk. I can ask my stepdad to drive you home."

"Thanks Ruben, but I'd feel kind of weird with just me and him."

"Well, I wouldn't let you go by yourself," Ruben replied.

Rockett blushed. So did Ruben.

"But look, Carlo will be done with the cake in just a couple minutes - you know how them seniors eat, fast and furious. Could you maybe wait it out just a bit?" Ruben asked.

"No, that's okay. I'd love to stay for cake, I just love vanilla and-"

"It's chocolate," Ruben interjected.

"Even better. But I really do have to get home now."

Ruben hung his head, but only for a split second. "That's okay, I understand. I don't want you to get into any trouble with your parents. And besides, you've been stuck at this party for hours."

"No way, Ruben! I've been having a total blast, I swear. And thank you so much for inviting me and everything. I had a totally awesome time!"

"I'm glad," Ruben smiled. "...Well, here, let me get Olivia, and we'll take you back to your place."

"Ruben! We're just about to cut the cake! Get in here and get in some pictures with your brother!" Rockett heard a partygoer yell.

Not wanting to hold him up, Rockett quickly made her way to the door. "That's okay Ruben, I'm faster on foot! I really have to go now, it's getting later by the second."

"Rockett, wait!" Ruben yelled, but it was no use. Rockett was already out the door.


	5. Answered Questions & The Aftermath

Chapter 5: Answered Questions & The Aftermath

Rockett's sneakers pounded so loudly on the pavement, the sound could be heard all the way from the next neighborhood over. As she raced home, she started to worry, knowing she could not beat the clock. Her parents were probably going to be furious with her by the time she got back, and she'd be banned from ever going on any future maybe-dates with Ruben or anyone else for the rest of her life. Life was unfair.

Rockett hadn't purposely pushed her curfew though; the fact was, she had been having such a great time with Ruben that she didn't even notice the clock.

Rockett's pace slowed down just a bit, as she started getting lost in her thoughts.

It was true, time had passed so crazy-fast when she was at the party...with Ruben. Actually, come to think of it, time always passed quickly when the two of them were hanging out. Was that what being in love was like? Just as quickly as it entered her mind, Rockett pushed the thought out. Nope, she was definitely not in love. Juno had told her earlier that it was 'perfectly normal for girls her age to think that.' But as far as Juno was concerned, it wasn't possible, at least not yet.

Well, Rockett may not be in love-mode, but she was definitely in 'like-mode'. And now she was feeling worse than ever. She totally liked Ruben, no question about it. But now she'd probably never find out what he thought of her, and she probably would have if she would've just stayed at the party. It was one of those angel on one shoulder, devil on the other moments. For now, Rockett had to just keep her head cool and go in with her decisions. She was already heading home, almost there, and she wasn't about to turn around and go back to the party.

Now on her doorstep, Rockett bent down, scooped up the house key from under the welcome mat, and inserted it. She tried to turn the key as quietly as possible, as she slowly turned the knob.

Rockett sighed. Why was she stalling? Her parents were obviously right behind the door, just waiting to bust her. Finally, Rockett turned the knob completely, opened the door, and stepped inside.

Rockett's dad was sitting at the kitchen table as she walked in.

He seemed to be looking over some lab work. When, he heard her come in, he glanced up.

"Dad," Rockett began. "Before you say anything, I just wanted to let you know that I'm really sorry about coming home so late. I-"

"I know," her father said, nodding. "I know. I got a phone call about ten minutes ago. Some Ruben fellow. Very nice, that boy. Anyway, he told me all about it, and that it was 'all his fault.'"

"Really? Ruben called?" Rockett asked.

"He sure did. He also told me that you were worried about getting home on time."

"Yeah, that part's definitely true," Rockett smilingly agreed.

"Well, I appreciate you trying to make it home on time. I know what it's like to get so wrapped up in a fun event that you don't even notice the time. Believe me, it happens a lot in the laboratory. And hey, when Juno was your age, we were lucky to even receive a phone call from her, let alone find out she'd be extending her curfew - which happened often, might I add."

"Really? Juno?" Rockett asked. She couldn't imagine her perfect sister ever doing anything that would ever, in the slightest bit, upset her parents. "I'm sorry, Dad," Rockett continued. "I shouldn't have gotten carried away, and I should have called. I know you're not mad, but still. I feel like I wasn't responsible."

"Oh, no?" her father asked. "You were responsible when you noticed the time, you were responsible when you tried to come home _on_ time, and you're responsible even now for taking responsibility for your actions."

Rockett giggled, and so did her father. "Don't get to use that word that much anymore," he replied with a wink.

"Clearly," laughed Rockett. "So where's mom? I figured she'd at least wait up for me."

"Ah, no, are you kidding? She's resting up to hear all about your night tomorrow morning. I, of course want to hear all about it too, but it's getting pretty late. Time to blast off to bed, Rockett," her dad teased.

"Ohh, Dad. Okay well, good night!"

"Good night, Rockett. I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered from the staircase.

Although Rockett had planned to talk to Meg after the party, she knew her bff was already in bed. But Rockett herself was far from tired. She walked over to her computer, turned on the monitor, and logged into her email. Meg might not be up right now, but maybe Jessie was already back from the party, and maybe she'd be online.

Rockett searched the IM windows to see if anybody was up. But not a single window was lit - which meant no one was online. Rockett sighed, but just as she was about to log off, her eyes became glued to a message in her inbox. A message that hadn't been opened yet. It was from Ruben! She immediately double clicked.

"Hey, come outside!"

Come outside? What was Ruben talking about? There was only one way to find out. Luckily, Rockett was still in her party clothes, so she didn't have to change. She raced as quickly and quietly as one can while trying not to wake up sleeping parents and siblings.

Rockett found the knob on her front door, gave it a turn, and slipped outside.

"Ruben?" she asked. "What are you do-"

"Well, I knew I couldn't just come up here and ring the doorbell...did you get my message?" Ruben asked shyly.

"Yes, of course," Rockett laughed. Why do you think I'm out here?"

Ruben laughed too. "Okay, good. I knew you had to be home, but I wasn't quite ready for you to leave the party."

Rockett found herself asking the bold question: "What do you mean?"

"Well-" Ruben hedged, leading Rockett to the bench on her family's doorstep. They both sat down. Rockett noticed something in his hands. It looked like a wrapped dish, although it was on a confetti paper plate. Ruben noticed her staring. "Oh! I brought you back the cake you missed. I haven't tried it yet, but I heard it was awesome from Carlo and his friends."

"Oh," said Rockett, taking the dish. "Thank you, Ruben." Ruben smiled, then cleared his throat. Finally, he turned around to face her.

"Look, Rockett, I gotta be honest with you. And I feel really bad for doing this, and I hope you're not mad at me but, about tonight, Max knew..."

"About what?" Rockett inquired.

"About the fake-date rule," Ruben said. "The truth is...I _really_ like you, Rockett. And I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how. So I asked Max what to do about it, and he suggested I take you out on a date. But then I didn't know how to ask you out, so Max suggested that I make up a "date rule" to get you to come to my brother's party. I'm really sorry. I-"

"Ohmigosh, Ruben, you like me?" Rockett exclaimed. "I like you, too! And I'm so glad you asked me on that date! To tell you the truth, I spent a lot of time just trying to figure out if it was a date," she told him.

"Really?" Ruben asked. "Man! I was worried you thought it wasn't a date at all, after I'd said all that stuff about just going 'as friends.' By the way, I'm really sorry about that, too. Didn't want to scare you off."

"Ohh, Ruben, don't worry about anything! I had a great time, and having to leave early was the worst thing I've ever had to do," Rockett said.

"It actually wasn't early, so you still got to stay for just about everything!"

"Even the cake," Rockett smiled.

Ruben smiled back.

Rockett took a deep breath. It'd take some nerve, but she'd just have to ask him. She'd be wondering all night, anyway.

"...So, what about the song? Did Max write the song, too?"

"'New Girl?'" asked Ruben. He scoffed. "No way. Only I can call you 'new girl.'"

"So, you mean, you did write it for me?"

"Yeah!" exclaimed Ruben. "But not recently. I wrote it around the time school first started up."

"Wow, really?" asked Rockett.

"Really," Ruben answered.

_Beep-beep! _

Ruben and Rockett whirled around. Olivia was at the front of the driveway, and had just given a light honk, warning Ruben that his time was running out.

"Aw, man. Gotta go, Rockett," he said, standing up. "But listen, I really hope you forgive me. I wasn't trying to manipulate you or anything, I just really wanted to go out with you."

"Trust me," Rockett replied, smiling. "I'm not mad at all."

_Beep-beep!_

"Oh!" Ruben said, turning around again. "Olivia's definitely ready to go home.

"Yeah, I think she is...well, bye Ruben! Thanks again for everything."

Ruben smiled. "You bet."

Their eyes locked for a moment, and then, everything was quiet. Olivia even eased up on her honking. And, before she could honk again, Ruben leaned over and gave Rockett a kiss.

"_Buenas noches_, new girl."


End file.
